John Hansell at Whiskey Advocate rates the Sazerac 95/100, and I agree wholly with his assessment in terms of flavor, particularly the unique clove/allspice components:
- A benchmark aged rye whiskey, and it’s similar in profile to recent releases . Vibrant for its age. Complex too, brimming with allspice, clove, mint, and cinnamon. The spice notes are balanced by soft vanilla, soothing caramel, and candied summer fruits. Impeccably balanced, and a pure joy to drink!
- This is a very easy drinking, pleasant sipping bourbon. It has a lot in common with the 7 year offering, despite the difference in mash bill and age, but feels like a more refined, less citrusy version of the same expression. I like it. If there was any complaint here, it’s that this bourbon doesn’t’ really show its age the way I would have expected a 10 year old whiskey to do. There are some oak hints and some tannins, but by and large, the experience is sweet and creamy bourbon, not really heavy vanilla, caramel, and oak. But that might be due to lower char levels (most distillers us e a #3 or #4 char, and I’m not currently aware of what level MGP uses or from whom they source their barrels).
